|
|
|
  |
Intro | Background | Agenda | Host Community | Fees | Application The California Center for Physical Activity invites communities throughout the state to apply to host a Walkable Community Workshop led by its team of walkability experts. California is the first state in the nation to offer Walkable Community Workshops led by trained, in-state experts. The four-hour workshops are presented by one of seven active living professionals who are recognized by the California Center for Physical Activity and the California Department of Transportation as California walkability experts. Based on best practices from the National Center for Bicycling and Walking, the workshops combine practical presentations on community design with fieldwork that lets participants identify, and then pursue, concrete steps to make their communities more walkable. If your community is concerned about traffic, pedestrian safety, public health, safe routes to school and/or transit options, consider applying to host a workshop. Please review the following information before applying:
Walkable Community Workshops have been presented around the country for the past eight years. In just four hours, the workshops have helped groups composed of elected officials, local government staff, transportation engineers, land use planners, business owners and citizens analyze their community's design and identify needed improvements. Communities have created successful traffic calming projects, designed pedestrian-friendly intersections, and launched safe routes to school campaigns. Most importantly, more people in these communities are walking, biking and riding public transit! Center-sponsored Walkable Community Workshops have focused on safe routes to school, safe routes to transit, and safe routes for seniors. They have been held in Alameda, Berkeley, Central Los Angeles, East Los Angeles, Eureka, Pasadena, Riverside, Sacramento, San Diego, San Jose, and Santa Monica. The workshops are presented by one of seven active living professionals who are recognized by the California Center for Physical Activity and California Department of Transportation as California walkability experts. These walkability experts were trained by renowned walkability expert Charles Gandy, president of Livable Communities, Inc. They have hands-on experience and professional knowledge about how to create more walkable communities.
WALKABLE COMMUNITY WORKSHOP AGENDA
Applications will be accepted from local coordinators representing organizations such as city government, business associations, planning firms, public health departments, school districts, nonprofits and community-based organizations on an ongoing basis. The local coordinator should be engaged professionally or personally in local community issues. The local workshop coordinator is responsible for:
The local host's share of the costs is $1,200* per workshop, plus travel expenses for the California Walkability Expert. The workshop fee goes directly to the expert and covers training, direct support and technical assistance. Services provided by the California Walkability Expert include:
* The workshop cost is not meant to be prohibitive for communities. The California Center for Physical Activity encourages local hosts to seek support for the workshop from various sources, including their departments of public works, public health, parks and recreation, local businesses, and key partners. If you would like suggestions on how best to approach potential funding sources, email Center staff at cacenterforpa@cdph.ca.gov.
Copyright © California Center for Physical Activity. |
|
"The Walkable Community Workshop that we held in Eureka with funding from the California Center for Physical Activity was a success...We were able to identify many of the local barriers to bicycling and walking and propose ideas for making our community more pedestrian friendly. The workshop brought together many of our community leaders that work with traffic, health and safety issues as well as neighborhood activist issues." Gary Bird, Special Projects Manager
City of Eureka
|
Introductory Discussion: A California Walkability Expert provides data on pedestrian and bicyclist safety; examples of satisfactory and unsatisfactory accommodations within the community; and samples of how other communities are addressing similar concerns, including: engineering, enforcement, education, and encouragement projects and programs.
Walkabout: The expert leads participants on a neighborhood walk audit and assists participants in identifying satisfactory and unsatisfactory conditions, noting special problems for children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.
Consensus Building: Working in groups, participants highlight neighborhood maps with suggestions on how to improve specific infrastructure features.
Action Plan: Taking the ideas offered in the workshop, participants identify specific short- and long-term actions to improve community walkability.
